Catch A Glimpse
by kayy christine
Summary: Little bits, strewn here and there, of Edward and Winry through the years. Drabble series. #05 Inevitable: Wasn't he supposed to keep her from harm? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to protect her? To protect them?
1. White

_A/N: Hello everyone! It has been at least 3 years since I have even made an attempt to write anything, I've missed it! I have been so busy with every day life, two little ones running around the house and finally planning a wedding for myself and their Daddy. All on top of working a full time job as an Office Manager! I have truly missed writing, it's a great stress reliever. I have been reading this whole time though. FMA is dear to my heart, it was a big part of my childhood growing up, so I have never really let myself stray too far from it. This series is exactly what the title says, glimpses of EdWin through the years, with tons of Golden Trio love and over all FMA goodness. The chapters will mainly be somewhat chronological, with updates very sporadic. I have a few different unfinished stories in my profile that I'm not looking into finishing at the moment, but things could change. I am simply writing to write and to keep my love of FMA alive. Please enjoy. :)_

_White_

It was simple, yet elegant. White chiffon danced along her curves, hugging them in all the right places. The gown just grazed the floor and above, a sweetheart neckline adorned her chest. It was nothing you would have seen on the cover of _Central Times_, such simplicity was scarce in that area of Amestris, especially when it came to fashion, but that's what Winry liked about it.

She did one final spin around in front of the full length mirror in Granny's room and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous all of the sudden. Maybe it was just the fact that this day was finally here. A day she thought she was going to have to wait a thousand lifetimes for, not only because of Edward's cluelessness, but the journey over all. It was long and endless, trying and testing and she hated it. She hated every minute of it. The waiting, the wishing, the deep longing that she went to bed with every night while he was away. The anxiety of not knowing if he was okay, if he was safe.

She had known from a very young age that she truly loved Ed more than just a sister loved her brother. She knew early on that her relationship with Ed was nothing like her relationship with Al, she loved them both, but she loved them both so differently.

Edward was always the first one to stand up to defend her and was so fiercely protective of her. He knew her strengths and weaknesses, her guilty pleasures and all her secrets. He knew how thunderstorms scared her and how a fresh bouquet of wild flowers made her smile. He knew she loved to bake and he was always eager to try her new recipes. He knew that she loved to be loved and he was simply the best at loving her (and making love to her). He knew all her fears and would sit up at night to comfort her when she would abruptly awake from a nightmare. He knew why the sight of a gun would cause her to hide away in herself.

But he would bring her back-and he did so beautifully.

The way he would trace the tiny freckles on her face when he would move her hair from her eyes to kiss her softly. The way he would take her hands in his and, once again, remind her of how powerful they were. The way he would smile smugly at her when they would bicker playfully at the dinner table. The way he could read her so easily, like one of his father's old alchemy texts he was always so lost in. The way he always knew when she needed him to just hold her, desperately. The way he held her so delicately, knowing how strong she actually was.

She looked at her reflection again, at the bride she had always hoped for herself to be. She was ready for this phase of life, this new chapter, and was content, knowing Edward was as well.

He would tell her in all the ways he would kiss her and the ways he would hold her on the couch while they would discuss their day at work. The way he would promise her everything, knowing she did not want for much, but his love and loyalty. He would give her that and so much more.

A small figure appeared in the mirror behind her, beaming at the sight of her.

"Are you ready, dear?"

She turned to face her grandmother and gave her a hug, squeezing her tight.

"Yea, let's go. I can just see Ed pulling at the collar of his dress shirt right now." She laughed, imagining a sweaty, nervous Edward waiting for her at the makeshift altar in the backyard.

Her grandmother chuckled and offered Winry her hand as they made their way down to where the ceremony was being held.

Yes, she was ready, they both were.


	2. Sundays

_Sundays_

His brother had done it this time, he was sure of it. He could hear the yelling from where he was stretched out on the sofa, inside the house, it had pulled him away from the Xingese novel that Mei had sent him last month. He was planning on spending the day to finally get started on it, she had been raving about it in her recent letters and Al couldn't remember the last time he had a relaxing day of doing nothing. Since they had returned from their trips to the East and West, the brothers had been put to work like 'slaves' as Edward would say, he knew his brother really didn't mind the work, it kept them busy.

With a sigh, he rested the open book on his chest, mindful of not losing his place, and braced himself for the storm ahead as he spotted his sister-in-law, stomping up the old wooden stairs to the Rockbell home.

Flinging the door open in fury, Winry marched past the living room, paying no mind to Al, through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement where she and Granny had their workshop set up. Al jumped at the sound of the door slamming and the initial crashes and bangs that followed as she unleashed her temper. His brother and Winry always fought, but it was different this time. She was furious and Al was starting to worry what his idiot brother could have done to cause her to react this way.

In walks said brother, cheeks beet red, jawline set, hands in fists and eyes on the basement door. He started walking towards it, when he spotted Alphonse out of the corner of his eye, and froze like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Brother?"

The elder Elric turned to face him, then glared at the floor, ashamed. He knew the fight had gone too far. He knew all the right buttons to push when it came to Winry and the many arguments they held together, as she did his. What he did not know, apparently, was when to draw the line and how.

"I don't know what happened. I didn't mean for it to come to that. She's-" he dropped his arms to his side in defeat and joined his brother on the couch.

They sat there in silence for a moment. The sound of a drill carried it's way up through the stairway from the basement and filled their ears.

"Gearhead." Edward huffed, tracing the etching on the gold band wrapped around his ring finger.

Al pulled his bookmark from his shirt pocket and placed it in the book, setting it on the coffee table. "I've never seen any two people more alike than the two of you."

Ed scoffed, "I'm not a gearhead!"

"That's not what I was referring to." Al continued, searching for his patience, he did take after their mother, after all. "Both of you will fight and yell 'til you're blue in the face and you both know you secretly enjoy it. It's weird." He smirked.

"What the-?" Ed interjected, turning an entirely new shade of red.

"Let me finish," Al reassured, "You know what makes Winry mad, she knows what ticks you off. I don't know what you guys are arguing about, but whatever it is, you'll work it out. Always do. Just go say sorry and get it over with so you don't waste a whole day being pissed at each other."

Ed released a breath he didn't realize he was holding and stood up, walking towards the window. He couldn't even remember what initially set their argument on fire at this point, as he gazed at the never ending pastures and corn fields that made up the small sheep town of Resembool.

His brother was right. He and Winry fought, they fought brutally and brought the worst out of each other sometimes. He's never understood it. What he did know was that he hated to see her cry and he felt sick that right now, he was the reason that she was probably crying.

It was quiet once again as Winry shut the drill off, leaving unspoken apologies hanging heavily in the air. Alphonse could feel the tension in the house thickening as Winry made her way back up the stairs, muttering something about broken drill bits and the hardware store being closed on Sundays. She stopped in the doorway when she saw Ed standing in the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, searching for forgiveness in Winry's eyes, behind the fresh tears about to spill down her cheeks.

Al glanced up from his spot on the couch in time to see Winry crash into his brother, her arms around him tight, he could hear her crying now and he saw the guilt in Ed's eyes.

"M'sorry." Was all he managed to hear as Ed buried his face in the crook of Winry's neck, kissing it softly. He couldn't make out Winry's words as she brought her arms up to rest on Ed's shoulders, standing on her toes to steal a kiss from his lips.

He took that as his queue to find a new reading spot. Tucking the book under his arm, he opened the screen door that led to the back yard.

Breathing in the fresh air, he plopped down on the wooden swing under the old oak tree they used to climb on as kids and cracked the book open once again. Maybe this day still had promise of relaxation after all.

_A/N: Thank you to those who favorited, followed and reviewed. I am happy to be back and have missed you also! Please stay tuned! I have the next three chapters already written. :)_


	3. Unsettled

_Unsettled_

"I don't know what to do." Ed exhaled, settling under the sheets, holding Winry in his arms.

"Mm." Winry rolled over onto her belly to face him, resting her chin on his bare chest. She knew what she had hoped for him to say and even though his decision would affect where she lived too, this was something Ed needed figure out on his own.

She would be returning to Rush Valley in a few weeks, to finish her apprenticeship and finally receive her official Automail Engineer's license under Mr. Garfiel's training. She was eager to return, she hated that she had to leave her patients, with no explanation, a few years ago. Her mind wandered to Tetsuo and his leg. Had he outgrown the one she made him? He had to be a teenager now. Then there was Mr. Crowell, who had just begun rehabilitation right before she left, she wished she was there to help when he re-learned to walk on the leg she made for him. If any tweaks needed to be made, she was confident in Mr. Garfiel's work, of course. She missed him as well, she enjoyed their late nights, talking over tea, going over new 'mail designs and the occasional tease about her almost non-existent love life at the time. If only he knew how things were now between her and Ed, that they were married. He'd be thrilled. It was practically a whole different world in Rush Valley, a world she fit into perfectly. She felt like she had things figured out for herself, somewhat.

Edward, on the other hand.

"If I take this job, I just can't really picture us living in Central." He began, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "It doesn't feel like home to me."

They received a letter from Brigadier General Roy Mustang a few weeks ago, proposing a job with the military to Edward, specifically in their Alchemic Specialists division, giving him a generous promotion. It would be a well paying job, that would help provide a comfortable life in central and more, but it didn't feel right. Without his alchemy, he wasn't sure what kind of help Mustang thought he would be. He had also vowed to leave the military once he and Al regained their bodies, but he has yet to resign or be discharged. Mustang obviously thinks he has no hope of a future without him, the bastard.

"We could make it work, if that's what you wanted." She reassured, pecking him sweetly on the nose. "When I finish up at Garfiel's, I could look into opening my own shop in Central."

"You would live in Central?" He raised an eyebrow, "I never imagined that would be an option."

Winry shrugged, "I can help people wherever I go, you're the one who needs to figure out what you want as a career and I know you're restless here." She really didn't like the idea of him still being enlisted in the military, but with Mustang moving up quickly and a new Fuhrer in place, she had hope that things would be different. With his and Al's journey ending, the transition from that to an every day life has been challenging for Edward. He spent most of his adolescence and young adult years traveling the country, then an additional two years in the West. Taking this job in Central would be good for him and she knew it. With wanderlust running strong through the Elric blood, it would balance him with occasional traveling and enough time to be home with her and despite what he may say, Mustang and his crew were good people that she knew Ed needed around.

"Win?" He nudged her, "Whatcha thinking?"

It would take time, for Central to feel like home and for them to settle down there, but she knew that it was a good place to start at least and that Ed would thrive in the career he was offered.

"I think," she sat up, holding his hands in her own. "Central is calling your name." She stole a kiss,"Our names."

He smiled, "Central it is, then."


	4. Memories

_Memories_

"There, finished!" Ed announced, tossing the empty cardboard box in the corner of Winry's bedroom above Garfiel's shop. The room was quite small and he was surprised to see that everything she brought actually fit somewhere without it looking too cluttered. She would be moving directly to Central with Edward once she finished up the necessary training for her license.

"Can't believe you're moving away from me." He pouted, "What am I supposed to do with myself?" They had yet to find a house in Central, so Ed will be renting out Havoc's spare bedroom until then. "I just hope I'm able to sleep at night, that horny bastard is always bringing questionable women home." He gagged at the idea of sleeping with someone he didn't even know. Or anyone else besides Winry for that matter.

"I thought he was going steady with Rebecca?" Winry asked, still rummaging through the box she was trying to empty. "Oh, Ed." she sighed, picking up a stack of old photos that she found tucked away, hidden under some of her old clothes. "I've been looking everywhere for these!"

"Hm?" He joined her in the floor, leaning over her shoulder curiously, a smile tugging at his lips when he saw his mother's deep emerald eyes smiling back at him. He took the photo into his hands and brushed over Trisha's face lightly with his fingertips, his eyes drinking up her own, her smile, her hair, everything. The pain never really went away and it never will; the desperation he felt, remembering the moment they found out she had passed and the guilt that still sickens him when he thinks about the transmutation that nearly cost him and Al their own lives.

"She looks so young here." Winry noted, turning the picture over to see if Granny or Trisha had thought to write the year or even ages of herself and the boys when it was taken.

"I was three." Ed stated, pointing out the year, written neatly in his mother's handwriting in the top corner.

"Mhm. Wonder where I was that day?" She thought aloud, flipping to the next picture and grinning at the sight of herself, Ed and Al. They were sitting on a blanket, enjoying a picnic by the river than ran about a half mile away from Granny's house. Ed immediately noticed Hohenheim standing in the background, slightly blurry from the camera's focus being on the children.

"I had no idea what he was going through." Ed mumbled, he felt guilty at times for hating his dad all those years, he could not have imagined being in Hohenheim's place. This picture must have been taken right before he left, they looked to be around that age.

"He didn't really do a good job at explaining it, what were you supposed to think?" She reasoned, flipping to the next picture and chuckling to herself when she saw Ed and Al, grinning cheekily and bumping fists. Their baby faces were still slightly chubby and Ed's hair had just started growing past his ears. They were so cute.

"That bean girl better take care of him." He threatened. Al had decided to go back East, to visit Mei and Ling and to strengthen his alkahestry techniques. He wasn't sure when he would see his brother again and he didn't like the thought at all. He made a mental note to send him a letter once he was settled in at Central.

Winry paused when she came to the last picture, tracing over the two people that were standing side by side, holding hands and dressed in their finest. Her parents' wedding picture.

"I still remember them so vividly." she said quietly.

"Me too." Ed rubbed her shoulders and pulled her in, holding her tight, "They'd be so proud of you, Win."

After all they had been through, Winry was so thankful to say that, except for Ed's brief absence from her life while he and Al were away, the brothers had been there with her through it all. Ed was a constant in her life that she would never have to surrender, no matter how many things may change.

He was her past, present and future.


	5. Inevitable

_Inevitable_

Ed bolted through the doors leading out of the Rush Valley train station, frantically looking for street signs to direct him to his destination. He needed to be there. _Now_.

He had been in a meeting at headquarters when the secretary knocked on the door, informing him of an urgent phone call from the hospital in Rush Valley. Everything had been a blur since then.

Pushing his way through the hoards of people in the summertime heat nearly drove him insane, at least he remembered to wear long pants to hide his 'mail, warding off the sharks that preyed on those who were exposed while walking the bustling town's streets.

He was at the front desk in record time and in what seemed like two strides, by her side. She was still unconscious and pale and looked so small in the large, white bed. Shaking, he placed his hand on hers, squeezing it firmly.

"Winry." He breathed, pleading for her to wake. He didn't understand why this happened to her, to them. He didn't even know she was _pregnant_. If she was far enough along to know herself, she must have been waiting until he came to see her next, like he did every other weekend.

He felt helpless and useless. Wasn't he supposed to keep her from harm? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to protect her? To protect them?

He choked on his thoughts_, there was no more them_.

The baby was gone.

The doctor said the miscarry was inevitable, that there was something neurologically wrong with the fetus and it couldn't progress properly.

He hated that word, fetus.

It was his child goddammit! Their baby. Why couldn't he save it? He felt like a failure of a father already. Damn Hohenheim.

His head dropped to her side, resting on the bed. He squeezed her hand again, hoping for her to wake up and help him understand what was going on. He knew what happened, but he didn't _understand_.

Why did this happen to their baby?

Winry stirred and he shot up, searching her eyes for life. Color was returning to her lips and Ed leaned in to kiss them softly.

"Ed." She looked confused. "How long have I been here?"

"A day." Came his shaky reply, "You lost a lot of blood and..." he couldn't say it.

"The baby too." She already knew. She knew there wasn't much hope when she initially saw how much blood she was losing. Thank goodness Mr. Garfiel was there or she probably wouldn't be here.

"I...didn't even know."

Her lips formed a grim line, "I was planning on telling you when you came to visit next weekend."

He was right. He sat on the edge of the bed, taking her into his arms. She began to cry and he realized that he was too. No words can describe the pain a parent feels at the loss of a child and even when there's nothing you could have done to change things, you still blame yourself.

He held her close, as if he were trying to hold her together; to keep her from falling apart. He will be putting a call in to the office, letting them know he needed a few more days with her, to help her heal.

They both needed to heal and to help heal each other.


End file.
